A Little Update....

I am not making good on my promise it would seem...it's just very hard to find the time to sit down and write!

I am exceedingly happy that vacation is a mere 6 days away! I know I will not want to come home at the end of the trip. I suppose that's the only downside to going....having to come home. Silly me, at least we are getting to go! Haven is chattering about it and wanting to look online at all the rides, even though she has already been to Disney World twice! I'm not sure how much she remembers from the last time we went, but there are definitely certain things that stick out in her mind. I think she will enjoy it even more this time because she can ride almost everything now that she's a little taller! This week will be hectic trying to get everything ready to go before Sunday. There always seems to be a million things to do when you're trying to get ready to leave for a week. I think I enjoy the preparation as much as the trip. It's so exciting getting everything ready to go!

Haven will be graduating Kindergarten in just 5 short weeks. I really can't believe how fast this year has flown by. The girls are wearing pink caps/gowns-how adorable! I can't wait to see her walk down the aisle and get her little diploma. I'm sure I will cry buckets! It has been so good for her to go to school this year. She is like a little sponge absorbing every drop of information she can get. It's been fun to see her learning new things and getting to be so big! She'll be 5 on June 3rd, which almost seems impossible! My, how the years just fly by. She has brought so much joy to our lives, I can hardly remember what life was like before she came along. Most uninteresting, I suppose! She definitely adds a unique element to the mix, so spunky and full of life! She acts like a grownup half the time, always crossing her legs and talking with her hands. She is growing up so fast. In a lot of ways, I'm glad....but sometimes I just miss my little baby girl. But that's just how it goes, they have to grow up sometime! I'm just thankful that she is healthy and happy : )

Aaron is still as busy as a bee, putting in 10 and 12 hour days! It's just that time of year, when he leaves early and gets home late. After owning this business for so many years, I've gotten used to it by now. He's home a lot more in the winter, but the work is slower. I'm always thankful for a busy summer. He is doing a lot of big projects this year like ponds, sidewalks and landscape lighting. He really loves tapping in to his creative side! I'm always amazed at his ability to learn something new and just do it. He has taught himself so much about landscaping. He really is very talented and I think he likes to toot his own horn from time to time, heehee. Well, not really, but he always has pictures in case anyone is interested in what he's been working on! I guess we're all a little proud of ourselves at one time or another.

I forgot to mention it in my last post, but my Strawberry Shortcake DVD's arrived in the mail! It was exactly how I remembered it. I made a big deal about it with Haven so she would want to watch them with me. She was like "what's this?" She's only ever seen the new SS, so she was a little confused. I told her it was the old SS that I used to watch as a kid. She watched a couple episodes with me, but I just don't think it was as interesting as her new stuff! I rather liked it for the simple fact that it took me back to my childhood, and I like anything that does that! Ah, well, it will probably collect dust on the shelf, but I'll know that anytime I want to be 5 again, it'll be there waiting for me : ) I am a silly sentimental fool, I daresay!

This is it for now, much to do! I'll try to post again before we leave and I'll have lots of pictures when we get back!

Amazing Grace

It's hard to put into words exactly how I feel, but I do feel the need to write about something most extraordinary. Just last night, I met a little girl whose very existence has given me pause and caused me to dwell on the awesome power of almighty God. A little girl who once lay at death's doorstep is now as healthy and happy as can be. Her very presence made my heart sing and my spirit soar. I have always known what God can do, but to see with my own eyes what He has done...it causes a great sense of pride to well up within me, but at the same time, makes me feel so humbled. To know that I serve a God who is capable of such a miracle and that He is concerned with every detail of my life, well, sometimes it's more than I can comprehend. Since meeting this little girl, I have thought much about all that God has done for me and wondered how many times I have not even thought to thank Him. So many times we take for granted the little things in life-like making it home safe every night, or barely missing an accident because we're running late. We never know what tomorrow holds, but I am so thankful that He holds us in the palm of His hand and is in control of every aspect of our lives. I feel as though something inside of me has changed, almost as if I see things in a new light. Life is so fragile and we are not guaranteed even one day. To know that God is more than able to bring us through any thing we may face in life is a wonderful comfort to me in times of trial. I am amazed at how He has worked things out in my life....circumstances I thought were insurmountable, pieces of my past I thought were irreparable, God has somehow worked it all out for His glory. He can take a situation that seems so hopeless and with His restoration power, turn it all around. I have recently found this to be ever so true. A severed friendship, now restored through God's amazing grace. I know that there is nothing too hard for the Lord, if we'll only let Him have control. He is becoming more real to me as I am tried in the fire and my character is being molded to reflect His very image. I don't want to fail to give Him glory and honor for all He's brought me through. His grace will always amaze and astound me.

Pictures...finally!

I have been deservedly rebuked for being so slack in my postings, so I am determined to do better : ) I finally added the pictures I've been promising so here they are....

I just thought this was so cute! Haven set up her Barbie dolls at the table for dinner!

Haven with her doll house!

Some of her school work....

The new car!

2008 Nissan Pathfinder SE

I haven't written in a few days because I don't want to just write about nothing and that's pretty much what's been going on lately...nothing! I am thoroughly enjoying my new car and still fiddling with all the buttons and gadgets in it.

Mom and dad made it back from Australia, barely! Well, to hear mom tell it anyway. Their flight from Sydney was VERY turbulent due to some really bad weather. Mom was convinced they were going to die and by the time they got to San Fransisco where they had a three hour layover I think they were about dead from exhaustion. They have about 500 pictures from a wonderful place that they enjoyed immensely, but plan to never visit again, haha! The food was terrible, but they survived. I'm going to try to get some of their pictures downloaded on here in the next few days (don't hold your breath!).

The countdown to Disney continues...only 10 days! I just hope Aaron can enjoy it with us. Poor thing is working sun up to sun down and practically falls in the bed every night. I'm afraid once we get there he'll realize how worn out he is and sleep the whole week, haha! Nah, he loves the rides too much. I do hope he can get some extra rest though, since he has the week off. Again, we can't complain about being busy! It's such a blessing!

I've ordered a portable DVD player for the car since our car didn't come with one in it. I think I will actually like this one better than the built in kind. The screen tends to block the rear view mirror when it's down and it bothers me to no end. Plus, whoever is sitting in the front row is forced to watch it as well, even if they don't want to. With a portable one, we can strap it on the headrest of the first row and Haven can sit in the back and watch it without anyone else being interrupted by it. It comes with headphones so we won't have to hear the constant lull of the thing being on. It also has iPod docking built in it so that if you have movies downloaded on your iPod, it will play through the DVD player. Pretty cool, huh? I'm going to download a few shows before we go to Disney World so that Haven will have some new stuff to watch. Another perk is that this DVD player can go anywhere we go, instead of only being able to use it in the car. Not to mention, the portable ones are about one tenth of the price of the built in kind. Yes, I am sure I'll like this kind better : ) Man, this paragraph looks like an advertisement on the pros of buying a portable DVD player! How terribly interesting for you all, sheesh!

Well, that's all the incredibly exciting news for now. I will write again soon!

New car...

Well, I have been a bit slack in posting lately, but it's been a little hectic. Since my last blog....I GOT A NEW CAR! My hat is off to Aaron for holding out! We actually went through a different dealership and got an amazing deal! It's a 2008 Pathfinder. I was going to post pics today but Aaron has the camera and I was in the mood to write now. I'll post some later : )

Mom and dad will be flying out tomorrow from Australia and arriving home on Saturday. It's already Friday over there because there is a 15 hour time difference. It's really weird because when they fly out of Sydney it will be Saturday. They'll fly 20 hours home and it will still be Saturday. Crazy! They've had a wonderful time thus far. Mom accidentally ate Kangaroo at one of their fancy dinners. She said it tastes like steak so that's what she thought it was. She was appalled when she found out! Kangaroo is the equivalent of Deer to the Australians. We (not me) eat Deer, they eat Kangaroo. I say, nasty!

It has been very cloudy and rainy lately, which I love! Except for the fact that Aaron gets behind when it rains and he's already so booked up that he can barely get it all done. But if it's going to rain, it's going to rain and I might as well enjoy it when it does! I know everyone thinks it's completely insane to love the rain so much, but it's just so comforting to me. I have always loved the rain and sometimes prefer it over sunshine. It depends on what I'm doing. It was chilly today though, which I hate! It's supposed to be almost 80 degrees tomorrow-I wish the weather would just stay put for a few days instead of changing constantly!

We leave for Disney World in 2 weeks and 3 days! I'm so looking forward to a week long vacation! And now we have a big vehicle to travel in with plenty of room! Should be a nice trip! We've already booked our condo and purchased our tickets so we're all ready to go, but I think the next 2 weeks will drag by. I sound like a kid at Christmas time, haha! When it comes to Disney World, I am a kid! We're all looking forward to it! Everyone likes to have some time to relax and have a good time!

It was very late the other night as we were finishing up the paper work on the car and Haven was tired and ill. Aaron had taken her out of the office to look at some cars in the showroom while I finished up with the finance manager. All of a sudden she came to the door and exclaimed "Mom, my bottom itches!" The poor man across the desk just chuckled, no doubt wondering what in the world prompted that outburst! I was mortified...to say the least. I just laughed it off and explained it away by going on about how kids say the craziest things! I tell you, when you have kids, dignity becomes nothing more than a fond remembrance!